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Rita Stamp was one of many young people around the world who were caught up in "Beatlemania" when the famous band first visited the United States in February 1964. Stamp, now 67, will never forget finding this photo of the Beatles (complete with facsimile autograph by George Harrison) in a pack of bubble gum. "This photo is my earliest memory of the Beatles because, at least, I was able to see what they looked like and that gave me the ability to connect with their music." courtesy rita stamp
Diane Salsbery of Phoenix has collected Beatles memorabilia for 50 years. "Most of the memorabilia that I have includes articles from magazines, concert programs, the script from 'A Hard Day's Night,' a Beatles poster from '16' magazine, the Christmas record, and almost all of the original albums and singles including the DJ copy of 'Please, Please Me.'" courtesy diane salsbery
After many months of following The Beatles' every move, Rebecca James finally got to see them perform live at the Indiana State Fair in September 1964. She still has the ticket stub. courtesy rebecca james
"We were in the nosebleed section at the Coliseum and barely heard a note for the screaming," James said. "The amplifiers were very small by today's standards." courtesy rebecca james
James snapped this photo of Paul McCartney driving by in August 1964 while visiting her brother in Detroit. "I heard screaming and learned that The Beatles were staying at a nearby hotel," she said. "I took off and hung around the hotel driveway and was lucky enough to get that photo." James recalls a girl fainting right in front of her -- a common sight during the height of Beatlemania. courtesy rebecca james
The influence of Beatlemania also reached Venezuela in the 1960s, where Marines Lares says teenage boys formed bands to emulate the "Fab Four." "Many boys started to play electric guitars and they formed rock groups singing in English and in Spanish, sometimes translating the lyrics from English to Spanish, and other times composing their own lyrics in their native language." courtesy Marcel Sananes
Lifelong Beatles fan Kurt Bentzen of Denmark got this photo of Paul McCartney playing a concert in London in December 2009. He gives The Beatles some of the credit for his mastery of English. courtesy kurt bentzen
